Peder Balke (Helgøya 1804 – 1887 Kristiana (Oslo)) „View of Fredriksten Fortress in Moonlight“. (Fredrikshald im Mondschein). Um 1852 Öl auf Karton, auf Pappe aufgezogen. 24,7 × 45,3 cm ( 9 ¾ × 17 ⅞ in.). Unten links signiert: Balke. Retuschen. [3227] The Norwegian painter Peder Balke must be considered one of the most original artists of the Romantic movement in Northern Europe. While neglected in his own lifetime and unknown for many years outside his native Norway, he is today hailed as a visionary painter for his innovative depictions of the northern landscape. Peder Andersen Balke (1804–1887) grew up in a rural community in eastern Norway, where he originally was trained as a house painter; in other words as a craftsman. With the support of well-to-do farmers, he travelled to the capital, Christiania (Oslo today) to attend at the Royal Drawing School in the 1820s. Between 1829 and 33, Balke stayed in Stockholm, studying with the Swedish landscape painter, Carl Johan Fahlcrantz. Later, he became the pupil of Johan Christian Dahl, the leading Norwegian painter, who had settled in Dresden. He stayed with Dahl for a few months in 1836 and then again in 1843/44. Through Dahl, Balke also became acquainted with the work of the German romantic Caspar David Friedrich and his circle. Balke was a travelling artist. He undertook journeys in his native country to study its nature. In 1832 he went to the northernmost parts of Norway, and the dramatic landscape there haunted his paintings for the rest of his life. He also travelled in the southern parts of Norway, including a journey to its mountains together with his mentor Dahl in 1844. But Balke was also something of a cosmopolitan who travelled widely in Europe; first to educate himself, and then eventually to sell his works or to gain commissions. Thus, he visited Berlin, Dresden, Paris, London and St. Petersburg through some busy years in the 1840s. In Paris, Balke managed to get an audience with the King of the French, Louis-Philippe, who himself had visited the northernmost parts of Scandinavia in his youth and now was eager to engage artists to depict this landscape. The meeting resulted in the commission of a large series of Norwegian landscapes. Due to the February Revolution of 1848, Louis-Philippe was not in the position to uphold this, but two finished landscapes as well as 26 of Balke’s sketches are preserved in the Musée du Louvre. Around 1850, Balke settled in Christiania with his family. Though he continued to paint, he more and more withdrew from public art life, concentrating on his business and his political commitment. In the 1840s and 50s, Balke painted a series of cityscapes, such as Dresden, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Christiania, and Halden (formerly Fredrikshald). The composition of these are often close to that of „View of Fredriksten Fortress in Moonlight“, with the sea or a landscape in the foreground and the buildings of the city hovering above. Most of them are nightly moonlight scenes of a somewhat melancholy mood. We find similar elements in many of the artist’s landscapes from Northern Norway, including his many depictions of the North Cape. These paintings appear more as visions than as realist, topographical renderings, related to the transcendental romanticism of Friedrich. „View of Fredriksten Fortress in Moonlight“ reveals Balke’s own, individual technique: The board (or sometimes canvas) was grounded with a thick layer of white paint, functioning almost as a layer of lacquer. When dry, he would add a layer of thinned paint, which he would then partly remove – using a brush, a sponge, a piece of cloth, a palette knife or even his own hand – to create the effect of light, waves, clouds etc. Deutsches Kunstblatt in December 1851 brings a piece on Balke’s works: “We saw a very copious collection of Scandinavian views from Mr Balke’s portifolio, briskly and sketchily tossed down to paper, full of life and effect.” (“Wir sahen eine sehr reiche Sammlung skandinavischer Gegenden aus Hrn. Balke’s Mappe, skizzenhaft Frisch in Oel auf Cartonpapier geworfen, voll Lebendigkeit und Wirkung.”) It is unclear whether the correspondent saw Balke’s works in an actual exhibition or in the artist’s studio, and whether this took place in Berlin or in Norway. However, as the artist stayed in Berlin that year, we may assume that he held an exhibition here. What is of special interest to us is that the notice mentions a series of cityscapes: “Stockholm, Copenhagen, Christiania, Hammerfest, Frederikshald [Halden], Trondheim etc., mostly in the extraordinary light of the moon or the setting sun, these are the subjects of the pictures.” (“Stockholm, Copenhagen, Christiania, Hammerfest, Friedrichshall [Frederikshald/Halden] Drontheim u.s.w., meis in der ungewöhnlichen Beluchtung der scheidenden Sonne oder des Mondes, das sind die Gegenstände, die den Darstellungskreis der Blätter bilden.”) (Deutsches Kunstblatt, 20 December 1851, p. 417; M. Lange: “Peder Balke: Vision and Revolution”, in London 2014, pp. 36–37.) We do not know exactly which paintings that were exhibited, but perhaps the Fredrikshald painting mentioned is identical with the work on show here. The view is taken from the port of Halden on the south-easthern coast of Norway, seen towards Fredriksten Fortress. The main parts of the fortress were built in the latter half of the 17th century, strategically placed for protection against Sweden, which the twin kingdom Denmark-Norway was constantly at war with at the time. Other artists had painted the fortress earlier, including Mathias Blumenthal in the 18th century. We know other versions of the subject by Balke. E.g., the motif is included in the series of sketches he presented to King Louis-Philippe of France, and is preserved in the Musée du Louvre’s Balke collection (Vue de Fredrikshald (aujord’hui Halden), avec le monument de Charles XII. INV. 1005. (L.P.7070)). A variant close to the painting on show here is in a private collection, dated 1852 (Tromsø 2014, cat.no. 26, p. 56; London 2014, cat.no. 15, p. 79.). The latter belongs to a pair of paintings, the other depicting the North Cape. Perhaps „View of Fredriksten Fortress in Moonlight“ also used to have a companion piece with a northern motif. The political-historical significance of the fortress can at least partly explain Balke’s interest in the subject. The artist was politically active in the early labor movement of Norway. He was a strong advocate for the rights of common people, and opposed to the union with Sweden that Norway had been forced to in 1814. Others of Balke’s landscapes hint at the artist’s social and political sympathies, and in this case, perhaps the fortress can be regarded as a symbol for Norwegian independence and democracy. Knut Ljøgodt Der norwegische Maler Peder Balke ist als einer der originellsten Künstler der Romantik in Nordeuropa zu verstehen. Zu seinen Lebzeiten verkannt und viele Jahre außerhalb seines Heimatlandes Norwegen nahezu unbekannt, wird er heute für seine innovative Darstellung nordischer Landschaften als visionärer Maler gerühmt. Peder Andersen Balke (1804–1887) wuchs in einer ländlichen Gemeinde in Ostnorwegen auf, wo er ursprünglich im Malerhandwerk, also als Anstreicher ausgebildet wurde. Die Förderung durch wohlhabende Landwirte ermöglichte ihm eine Ausbildung an der Königlichen Zeichenschule in den 1820er Jahren in der norwegischen Hauptstadt Kristiania (dem heutigen Oslo). Von 1829 bis 1833 lebte Balke in Stockholm, wo er von dem schwedischen Landschaftsmaler Carl Johan Fahlcrantz unterwiesen wurde. Später wurde er Schüler von Johan Christian Dahl, dem seinerzeit bekanntesten norwegischen Maler, der sich in Dresden niedergelassen hatte. Bei Dahl hielt er sich für einige Monate im Jahr 1836 und dann erneut in den Jahren 1843–44 auf. Dahl war es auch, der Balke mit dem Werk des deutschen Romantikers Caspar David Friedrich und dessen Kreis vertraut machte. Balke war ein rastloser Künstler. Er unternahm zahlreiche Reisen in seinem Heimatland, um die Natur seines Heimatlandes zu studieren. Im Jahr 1832 wagte er sich bis in den äußersten Norden Norwegens, dessen dramatische Landschaft die Gemälde Balkes zeit seines Lebens prägen sollte. Er war auch im südlichen Teil Norwegens unterwegs und unternahm unter anderem eine Reise in die dortige Gebirgsregion im Jahr 1844 gemeinsam mit seinem Mentor Dahl. Balke gefiel sich jedoch auch in der Rolle als Kosmopolit, der zunächst auf Bildungsreisen, später dann in der Absicht, seine Werke zu verkaufen oder Aufträge zu erlangen, überall in Europa verkehrte. So besuchte er in den 1840er Jahren binnen kurzer Frist Berlin, Dresden, Paris, London und St. Petersburg. In Paris gelang es Balke, zu einer Audienz beim französischen König Louis-Philippe vorgelassen zu werden, der in seiner Jugend ebenfalls den Norden Skandinaviens bereist hatte und großes Interesse daran hatte, Künstler mit der bildlichen Darstellung dieser Gegend zu beauftragen. Aus dem Treffen ergab sich ein umfangreicher Auftrag in Gestalt einer Serie norwegischer Landschaften. Infolge der Februarrevolution von 1848 sah sich Louis-Philippe außerstande, der Vereinbarung weiter nachzukommen; zwei fertiggestellte Landschaften sowie 26 Skizzen Balkes befinden sich heute im Musée du Louvre. Um 1850 ließ sich Balke mit seiner Familie in Kristiania nieder. Zwar widmete er sich weiterhin der Malerei, zog sich jedoch mehr und mehr aus dem öffentlichen Kunstleben zurück und konzentrierte sich stattdessen auf seine Geschäfte und sein politisches Engagement. In den 1840er und 50er Jahren malte Balke eine Reihe von Stadtansichten, darunter von Dresden, Kopenhagen, Stockholm, Kristiania und Halden (ehemals Fredrikshald). In ihrem Bildaufbau ähneln Ansichten häufig dem der Ansicht der Festung Fredriksten bei Mondschein: im Vordergrund finden sich das Meer oder eine Landschaft, während die Häuser der Stadt gleichsam darüber zu schweben scheinen. Die meisten dieser Bilder zeigen nächtliche Szenen im Mondschein mit leicht melancholischer Grundstimmung. Vergleichbare Aspekte finden sich in etlichen der Landschaften des Künstlers aus Nordnorwegen, insbesondere in seinen zahlreichen Darstellungen des Nordkaps. Diese Gemälde scheinen eher Visionen denn realistische Wiedergaben der Topographie zu sein, wesensverwandt der transzendentalen Romantik eines Caspar David Friedrich. Ansicht der Festung Fredriksten bei Mondschein lässt Balkes eigene, ganz individuelle Technik erkennen: Die Tafel (oder bisweilen die Leinwand) wurde mit einer dicken Schicht weißer Farbe grundiert, die fast wie eine Lackschicht wirkte. Sobald diese getrocknet war, fügte er eine Schicht verdünnter Farbe hinzu, die er anschließend mithilfe eines Pinsels, Schwamms, Lappens, Spatels oder sogar mit der bloßen Hand teilweise wieder abtrug, um Licht-, Wellen- oder Wolkeneffekte zu erzeugen. Im Dezember 1851 erschien ein Artikel über Balkes Werke im Deutschen Kunstblatt: “Wir sahen eine sehr reiche Sammlung skandinavischer Gegenden aus Herrn Balke’s Mappe, skizzenhaft frisch in Oel auf Cartonpapier geworfen, voll Lebendigkeit und Wirkung.” Es ist unklar, ob der Korrespondent die Werke Balkes in einer eigenen Ausstellung oder nur im Atelier des Künstlers sah, und ebenso unklar ist der Ort, ob Berlin oder Norwegen. Für uns interessant ist an dieser Stelle jedoch, dass in der Meldung von einer Reihe von Stadtansichten die Rede ist: “Stockholm, Copenhagen, Christiania, Hammerfest, Friedrichshall[Halden], Drontheim u. s. w., meist in der ungewöhnlichen Beleuchtung der scheidenden Sonne oder des Mondes, das sind die Gegenstände, die den Darstellungskreis der Blätter bilden.” (Deutsches Kunstblatt, 20. Dezember 1851, S. 417; zitiert in M. Lange: “Peder Balke: Vision and Revolution”, London 2014, S. 36–37.) Wir wissen nicht genau, welche Gemälde ausgestellt wurden, vielleicht aber ist die erwähnte Darstellung von Fredrikshalds identisch mit dem hier vorgestellten Werk. Die Blickrichtung geht vom Hafen der Stadt Halden an der Südostküste Norwegens als Ausgangspunkt bis zur Festung Fredriksten. Die Festung wurde größtenteils in der zweiten Hälfte des 17. Jahrhunderts erbaut und diente an dieser strategischen Stelle der Abwehr der Schweden, mit denen sich das Königreich Dänemark-Norwegen zu dieser Zeit fortwährend im Krieg befand. Andere Künstler hatten die Festung schon zu früheren Zeiten als Motiv gewählt, darunter Mathias Blumenthal im 18. Jahrhundert. Wir kennen auch weitere Versionen dieses Sujets von Balke. So findet sich das Motiv bereits in einer Serie von Skizzen, die der Maler dem französischen König Louis-Philippe vorlegte und die heute in der Sammlung Balke des Musée du Louvre aufbewahrt wird. (Vue de Fredrikshald (aujourd’hui Halden), avec le monument de Charles XII.. INV. 1005. (L.P.7070).) Eine abweichende, dem hier vorgestellten Bild eng verwandte Fassung datiert auf das Jahr 1852, befindet sich in einer Privatsammlung. (Tromsø 2014, Kat. Nr. 26, S. 56; London 2014, Kat. Nr. 15, S. 79). Diese Fassung ist Teil eines Bildpaares, dessen zweites Stück das Nordkap zeigt. Vielleicht gab es auch für die Ansicht der Festung Fredriksten bei Mondschein ein Begleitstück mit nördlichem Motiv. Zumindest teilweise lässt sich das Interesse Balkes an diesem Motiv mit der politisch-historischen Bedeutung der Festung erklären. Der Künstler engagierte sich politisch während der Frühphase der Arbeiterbewegung in Norwegen. Er wurde zu einem wichtigen Fürsprecher für die Rechte des einfachen Volkes und wandte sich gegen den Bund mit Schweden, zu dem Norwegen im Jahr 1814 gezwungen worden war. Andere Landschaften Balkes enthalten Anspielungen auf die soziale und politische Einstellung des Künstlers. So lässt sich das Bild der Festung vielleicht als Allegorie für Norwegens Unabhängigkeit und Demokratie auffassen. Knut Ljøgodt Peder Balke (Helgøya 1804 – 1887 Kristiana (Oslo)) "View of Fredriksten Fortress in Moonlight“. Circa 1852 Oil on cardboard, laid down on cardboard. 24,7 × 45,3 cm ( 9 ¾ × 17 ⅞ in.). Signed lower left: Balke. Retouchings. [3227] The Norwegian painter Peder Balke must be considered one of the most original artists of the Romantic movement in Northern Europe. While neglected in his own lifetime and unknown for many years outside his native Norway, he is today hailed as a visionary painter for his innovative depictions of the northern landscape. Knut Ljøgodt Peder Andersen Balke (1804–1887) grew up in a rural community in eastern Norway, where he originally was trained as a house painter; in other words a craftsman. With the support of well-to-do farmers, he travelled to the capital, Christiania (today Oslo) to attend at the Royal Drawing School in the 1820s. In 1829–33, Balke stayed in Stockholm, studying with the Swedish landscape painter, Carl Johan Fahlcrantz. Later, he became the pupil of Johan Christian Dahl, the leading Norwegian painter, who had settled in Dresden. He stayed with Dahl for a few months in 1836 and then again 1843–44. Through Dahl, Balke also became acquainted with the work of the German romantic Caspar David Friedrich and his circle. Balke was a travelling artist. He undertook journeys in his native country to study its nature. In 1832 he went to the northernmost parts of Norway, and the dramatic landscape there haunted his paintings for the rest of his life. He also travelled in the southern parts of Norway, including a journey to its mountains together with his mentor Dahl in 1844. But Balke was also something of a cosmopolitan who travelled widely in Europe; first to educate himself, and then eventually to sell his works or to gain commissions. Thus, he visited Berlin, Dresden, Paris, London and St. Petersburg through some busy years in the 1840s. In Paris, Balke managed to get an audience with the King of the French, Louis-Philippe, who himself had visited the northernmost parts of Scandinavia in his youth and now was eager to engage artists to depict this landscape. The meeting resulted in large commission of a series of Norwegian landscapes. Due to the February Revolution of 1848, Louis-Philippe was not in the position to uphold this, but two finished landscapes as well as 26 of Balke’s sketches are preserved in the Musée du Louvre. Around 1850, Balke settled in Christiania with his family. Though he continued to paint, he more and more withdrew from public art life, concentrating on his business and his political commitment. In the 1840s and 50s, Balke painted a series of cityscapes, such as Dresden, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Christiania, and Halden (formerly Fredrikshald). The composition of these are often close to that of View of Fredriksten Fortress in Moonlight, with the sea or a landscape in the foreground and the buildings of the city hovering above. Most of them are nightly moonlight scenes of a somewhat melancholy mood. We find similar elements in many of the artist’s landscapes from Northern Norway, including his many depictions of the North Cape. These paintings appear more as visions than as realist, topographical renderings, related to the transcendental romanticism of Friedrich. View of Fredriksten Fortress in Moonlight reveals Balke’s own, individual technique: The board (or sometimes canvas) was grounded with a thick layer of white paint, functioning almost as a layer of lacquer. When dry, he would add a layer of thinned paint, which he would then partly remove – using a brush, a sponge, a piece of cloth, a palette knife or even his own hand – to create the effect of light, waves, clouds etc Deutsches Kunstblatt in December 1851 brings a piece on Balke’s works: “We saw a very copious collection of Scandinavian views from Mr Balke’s portifolio, briskly and sketchily tossed down to paper, full of life and effect.” It is unclear whether the correspondent saw Balke’s works in an actual exhibition or in the artist’s studio, and whether this took place in Berlin or in Norway. However, what interests us is that the notice mentions a series of cityscapes: “Stockholm, Copenhagen, Christiania, Hammerfest, Frederikshald [Halden], Trondheim etc., mostly in the extraordinary light of the moon or the setting sun, these are the subjects of the pictures.” (Deutsches Kunstblatt, 20 December 1851, p. 417; quoted from M. Lange: “Peder Balke: Vision and Revolution”, in London 2014, pp. 36–37.) We do not know exactly which paintings that were exhibited, but perhaps the Fredrikshald painting mentioned is identical with the work on show here. The view is taken from the port of Halden on the south-easthern coast of Norway, seen towards Fredriksten Fortress. The main parts of the fortress was built in the latter half of the 17th century, strategically placed for protection against Sweden, which the twin kingdom Denmark-Norway was constantly at war with at the time. Other artists had painted the fortress earlier, including Mathias Blumenthal in the 18th century. We know other versions of the subject by Balke. E.g., the motif is included in the series of sketches he presented to King Louis-Philippe of France, and is preserved in the Musée du Louvre’s Balke collection. (Vue de Fredrikshald (aujord’hui Halden), avec le monument de Charles XII. INV. 1005. (L.P.7070).) A variant close to the painting on show here is in a private collection, dated 1852. (Tromsø 2014, cat.no. 26, p. 56; London 2014, cat.no. 15, p. 79.). The latter belongs to a pair of paintings, the other depicting the North Cape. Perhaps View of Fredriksten Fortress in Moonlight also used to have a companion piece with a northern motif. The political-historical significance of the fortress can at least partly explain Balke’s interest in the subject. The artist was politically active in the early labor movement of Norway. He was a strong advocate for the rights of common people, and opposed to the union with Sweden that Norway had been forced to in 1814. Others of Balke’s landscapes hint at the artist’s social and political sympathies, and in this case, perhaps the fortress can be regarded as a symbol for Norwegian independence and democracy.